Electron Configuration - Detailed Explanation with Examples
Table of Contents Introduction to What are Electron Configurations?Writing Electron ConfigurationsFilling of Atomic OrbitalsExamples Introduction: What are Electron Configurations? The electron configuration of an element describes how electrons are distributed in its atomic orbitals. Electron configurations of atoms follow a standard notation in which all electron-containing atomic subshells (with the number of electrons they hold written in superscript) are placed in a sequence. For example, the electron configuration of sodium is 1s 2 2s 2 2p 6 3s 1 . However, the standard notation often yields lengthy electron configurations (especially for elements having a relatively large atomic number). In such cases, an abbreviated or condensed notation may be used instead of the standard notation. In the abbreviated notation, the sequence of completely filled subshells that correspond to the electronic configuration of a noble gas is replaced with the symbol of that noble gas in square bracke